ridicule

noun

rid·i·cule | \ ˈri-də-ˌkyül

Definition of ridicule

(Entry 1 of 2)

: the act of ridiculing : derision, mockery

ridicule

verb

ridiculed; ridiculing

Definition of ridicule (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to make fun of

Other Words from ridicule Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym Example Sentences Learn More about ridicule

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Synonyms for ridicule

Synonyms: Noun

derision, mockery, sport

Synonyms: Verb

deride, gibe (or jibe), jeer, laugh (at), mock, scout, shoot down, skewer

Choose the Right Synonym for ridicule

Verb

ridicule, deride, mock, taunt mean to make an object of laughter of. ridicule implies a deliberate often malicious belittling. consistently ridiculed everything she said deride suggests contemptuous and often bitter ridicule. derided their efforts to start their own business mock implies scorn often ironically expressed as by mimicry or sham deference. youngsters began to mock the helpless wino taunt suggests jeeringly provoking insult or challenge. hometown fans taunted the visiting team

Examples of ridicule in a Sentence

Noun

She didn't show anyone her artwork for fear of ridicule. the early efforts by the suffragists to obtain voting rights for women were met with ridicule

Verb

The other kids ridiculed him for the way he dressed. They ridiculed all of her suggestions.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Kate's one of the first plus-size characters in pop-culture who's actually treated like a real person—not some caricature designed for ridicule or embarrassing slapstick humor. — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, "Chrissy Metz Just Landed a Lead Movie Role That Has Nothing to Do With Weight," 1 Feb. 2018 Something is always going on in that place that is worthy of ridicule. — Fox News, "Greg Gutfeld: As Trump disproves naysayers, they cling to tapes," 28 July 2018 The video went viral, and the woman soon became the brunt of massive online ridicule for her complete naiveté to black culture. — Matt Miller, Esquire, "Remember The White Mom Crying About Rap? Atlanta Just Brilliantly Put it Into Perspective.," 16 Mar. 2018 And yet the phallus is a dominant symbol of the moment, as metonym for power but also an object of ridicule as gender relations shift. — Vogue, "Radical Feminist Artist Renate Bertlmann Exhibits Dildos in Dresses at Her First Solo Show Stateside," 1 Apr. 2019 And now anyone who has genuinely found fidget spinners to have helped them probably wouldn't be caught dead playing with one if only to avoid stares from strangers who think the toy is worthy of ridicule. — Popular Mechanics, "This AirPods Case Is Also a Fidget Spinner," 11 Apr. 2019 Hillary, everyone loves a rematch, but everyone also loves a winner -- the only thing she's won is ridicule. — Greg Gutfeld, Fox News, "Gutfeld on 2020 Democratic contenders," 19 July 2018 The ridicule was ruthless, matched only by the anger Democrats directed at her for distracting from the election. — Kimberley A. Strassel, WSJ, "Biggest Loser: Elizabeth Warren," 8 Nov. 2018 Quoted by the Daily Mirror, Gracia sounded deeply unimpressed by the ridicule that the England striker has faced in his increasingly desperate campaign to claim his third successive Premier League Golden Boot. — SI.com, "'One of England's Best': Watford Boss Javi Gracia Slams Lack of Respect Shown to Tottenham Star," 30 Apr. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Sadness, resentment and burnout aren’t going to be shamed or ridiculed away by the part of you acculturated to scoff at such pain. — Carolyn Hax, The Seattle Times, "Feeling sad and resentful after move to a different country," 12 Apr. 2019 One suggested that driving could harm a woman’s ovaries, a notion ridiculed by many Saudis on social media. — Alexandra Zavis, latimes.com, "Women are the bulk of ride-app customers in Saudi Arabia. Soon they will be ride-app drivers," 27 Mar. 2018 An article in an official army periodical is being ridiculed for claiming that the Russian military has psychic abilities and has used them in wartime. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "Journal Claims Russian Troops Have Psychic Powers," 4 Apr. 2019 Both women contend they were ridiculed, humiliated, suffered emotionally and became suicidal after the recordings were distributed. — Lewis Kamb, The Seattle Times, "Second woman sues former Federal Way basketball star Jalen McDaniels over exploitative videos," 19 Dec. 2018 At times, Mund claimed pageant handlers ridiculed her clothing choices and chided her for wearing the same outfits too often. — Jennifer Earl, Fox News, "Miss America pageant winners demand leaders resign amid bullying accusations," 21 Aug. 2018 Warren, who is seen as a potential 2020 challenger to Trump, appears to have taken a page out of his political playbook, striking back almost instantly at the president who continues to ridicule her claim of Native American ancestry. — Darlene Superville, The Seattle Times, "Warren accuses Trump of ‘creepy’ comments about her DNA test," 15 Oct. 2018 Like many forward-thinking scientists, Wegener was ridiculed for his ideas at the time. — Matt Blitz, Popular Mechanics, "How GPS Changed the Way We Think About Our Planet," 18 Apr. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ridicule.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.